Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2025

[itsfi]

Hi there, BIC and happy spring! Whether (a) you're spring cleaning, or (b) returning to the office and wanting to use the makeup you have (new and old) or will pick up along the way, or (c) interested in putting together a collection (big or small) of "go to" or Top Shelf product for every day, the season, a special event or occasions, or just in general, or (d) for any other reason, please join us here at the Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2025. 

How does this work?

To add a little bit of fun and creativity to curating a makeup capsule, there will be a weekly theme or prompt on which that week's group of beauty products will touch upon. There's no need to have every single product for the week fit the theme exactly. All you need is one product. And, truth be told, how that product fits into the weekly theme is subject to interpretation. Yours, primarily. So, please feel free to be creative. This is about finding a set of makeup products that work for you and your lifestyle, whether already in your collection or waiting to be found by you. 

For me, I've found having a bag of makeup ready at the start of a week to be helpful in getting me out the door more efficiently, and feeling and looking put together. Some weeks my makeup bag has a minimalist look and feel; other weeks, the makeup capsule I've curated for use during the week resembles a more maximalist approach, with several products to choose from. There are weeks when I use the beauties in my capsule every day, and, there are weeks when I may add products into my existing bag of makeup during the week to meet my needs. 

How Can / Do I Participate?  

There are several ways you can participate - You can post a photo of the products you use or tag and list them, as you like. You can give someone's post a heart and / or ask questions about products in someone's capsule. You can post a different capsule every week or once a month or every once in a while, when a theme grabs your interest or draws your attention. 

When and where are/will the weekly themes posted?

The weekly themes are (or will be) included in the original post - under the section titled "Current Makeup Capsule Theme" or "Upcoming Makeup Capsule Theme". Occasionally, I will post a link to a separate post with the monthly themes.

▶️  CURRENT MAKEUP CAPSULE THEME  

Week 20 (May 12 - 18) - The "Tailored For You" Makeup Capsule- The Met Gala will have occurred on May 5, with the theme "Tailored For You" inspired by the exhibit "Tailoring Black Style". For this week, curate a capsule with one or more products that are either "tailored for you" or that suits you impeccably and/or that caught your eye from the Met Gala or if you visit the "Tailoring Black Style" exhibit. 

Optional (month-long theme): May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) National Heritage Month and to celebrate, we're bringing back the optional month-long theme in addition to the weekly themes. So, if you're up for the challenge, consider doing a tie-in of both, be it one product that fits both capsule themes, or one or more product from the then current weekly theme below and one or more product from an AAPI founded or owned beauty brand.

Spoiler

Below is a non-exhaustive list of makeup brands founded or co-founded / owned or co-owned by Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) - the brands listed are primarily ones that offer makeup / color cosmetics.  To the extent the founder's identify cannot be determined by the brand name, his/her/their name(s) will appear in parens next to the brand name. Brands with an asterisk (*) next to their name denotes that that brand is available at Sephora.

CLE Cosmetics (Lauren Jin)

CTZN Cosmetics (Aleena Khan, Aleezeh Khan, and Naseeha Khan)

Em Cosmetics (Michelle Phan)
Finding Ferdinand (Nhu Le)

* Glow Recipe (Christine Chang and Sarah Lee)

Jason Wu Beauty

Kimchi Chic Beauty (Kim Chi)

* Kulfi Beauty (Priyanka Ganjoo)

Live Tinted (Deepica Mutyala)

* Mango People (Sravya Adusumilli)

Meloway Makeup (Aiden Kim and Ash Kim)

* One/Size by Patrick Starrr

Orce Cosmetics (Yu-Chen Shih)

Ourself (Lauren Otsuki)

* Patrick Ta Beauty

Purlisse Beauty (Jennifer Yen)

Seraphine Botanicals (Sylvia Phann)

The Creme Shop (Theresa and Lawrence Kim)

* Tower 28 Beauty (Amy Liu)

U Beauty (Tina Craig)
* Velour Lashes (Mabel Lee)

* Wander Beauty (Divya Gugnani)

Yensa Beauty (Jennifer Yen)

UPCOMING Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 5.11.2025]

Spoiler

Week 21 (May 19 - 25) - The Vacation Makeup Capsule  

Alright, we're heading into Memorial Day weekend, often the kickoff to summer. Whether or not you're on vacay that week, assemble a capsule containing one or more of makeup products that are "must have" when packing for vacation.

Additional May Capsule themes can be found through the below link - 

https://community.sephora.com/t5/Makeup-Is-Life/Capsule-Makeup-Collection-Challenge-2025/m-p/7158267...

June capsule themes will be posted to the thread sometime during the Memorial Day weekend (most likely near the end of it).

Previous Capsule Themes: [Updated: 5.4.2025]

Spoiler

1 - The "New Year, New-To-You" Makeup Capsule  
2 - The "Mocha Mousse" Inspired Makeup Capsule
3 - The "Favorite Feature(s) Focus" Makeup Capsule  
4 - The "How Low Can I Go?" Makeup Capsule
5 - The "Lunar New Year 2025 Zodiac Sign Lucky Colors" Makeup Capsule  

February 2025 Capsule Themes <Click on link ⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes>
6 - The "Black Founded/Owned Beauty Brand(s)" Makeup Capsule
7 - The "Dynamic Duo, Trusted Trio or Killer Combo" Makeup Capsule
8 - The "New York Fashion Week Inspired" Makeup Capsule and/or The "Celeb-Inspired" Makeup Capsule
9 - The Throwback Makeup Capsule

March 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes> 
10 - The "International Women Founded / Owned Beauty Brand" Makeup Capsule and/or The Palette(s) Makeup Capsule
11 - The Samples Makeup Capsule  and/or The "Attitude of Gratitude" Makeup Capsule
12 - The "Spring Is In The Air" Makeup Capsule
13 - The "Take 2" / Do Over" Makeup Capsule 

April 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes> 
14 - The Spring Sticks Makeup Capsule
15 - The Flush of Color Makeup Capsule 
16 - The Spring Refresh Makeup Capsule 
17 - The “Green” Makeup Capsule 
18 - The Makeup-Artist-Founded/Owned Brand Makeup Capsule 

May 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ‌‌⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes> 
19 - The  Asian American Pacific Islander Founded / Owned Beauty Brands Makeup Capsule

Additional FAQs

Spoiler

Why weekly? 
Years ago, beauty & lifestyle blogger Serein Wu, did a weekly series (on her blog and YouTube channel), Makeup Bag Monday, where she rotated her makeup bag each week with new product launches and makeup already in her collection. Every Monday, she shared the products she selected for the upcoming week and provided detailed makeup reviews on the makeup she used for the previous week. My reviews here will likely not be as detailed, but I will at least try to include a few thoughts about the products at the end of the week or beginning of the next week.  If weekly works for you, great. If not, feel free to join in based on what works best for you. 

Having a weekly capsule at the ready at (or near) the beginning of the week has also been helpful with making getting ready in the morning easier and more efficient, and that, has made it more fun too. It's also a great way for me to see how well a product performs with other products and that makes the decision to keep, donate, re-home or toss an item a lot easier. Also want to note that if the makeup for the week's capsule is not something you want to use for the entire week, that's fine, too. I generally use the makeup in the week's capsule 4-6 days during the week, sometimes more, sometimes less. 

When are the weekly themes posted?
I generally try to post the themes for the next month about two weeks before the start of that next month (so around the 15th of each month, give or take a few days), except that, for this month, weekly themes for weeks 2 thru 5 for January will be posted by or before end of the day on January 2. Weekly themes are updated at the end of the then current week (e.g., Sunday). This year, I will plan to update the weekly themes the Sunday before the start of the next week's theme, around 9pm Pacific / 10pm Mountain / 11pm Central / 12midnight Eastern Time.

What if I don't have enough products to fit the theme for a full face?

There's need for your entire makeup capsule to fit the weekly theme(s). Just one item will do. And, even if you don't have one that fits squarely within a theme, feel free to post your makeup capsule. We'd love to see what you're using and hear your feedback on the products as you put them to use - are they a favorite or a potential favorite? Are they just 'meh'? Or, is it time to declutter the item(s) from your stash?

Is there anything else I should include in my capsule?
It's all up to you what to include in your capsule. Some weeks, my capsule consists of completely different items than the week before. Other weeks, I've swapped out just a few items or have included additional items in one category of products - some of us refer to this as giving us options for the week. 

You may see reference to "fits." That was creatively coined by our fabulous @danielledanielle and refers to the bag or component that will hold the week's makeup and, specifically, does all the makeup for the week's capsule fit into the bag / storage component. You ca also include the makeup brushes and tools you use for application, if you wish.

[blackkitty2014]

The Mocha Mousse Inspire Makeup: Here is my line up. Again, I kinda cheat with the lipsticks since I’m doing 100 day lip challenge. I’m so glad itsfi hosts this. It is truly “Get to know yoiur makeup.” Most of the older release lipsticks got neglected. The GA blush 50 Euphorie I used less than 5 times before this week. I’m glad I get to know it this week. It’s a pretty shade and remind me so much of NARS Orgaism but less peachy. The YSL Stora Dolls palette is ❤️. Everyday I was liked “oh this is pretty” 🥰. I still have high hope on panning that MJ Bronzer this year

[Mellmars1185]

@blackkitty2014 Lovely mocha mousse capsule! Did you have a favourite lipstick out of the ones you picked?

[peculiarzmakeup]

Beautiful Mocha Mousse Capsule! I absolutley love how your encorporated your lippies and the challenge into your theme! I feel like the products are stunning pairings! I’m also a huge fan of @itsfi @hosting the capsules I learn a lot from everyone’s unique tastes and perspectives. I love everything you picked out this is such a beautiful lineup for the theme @blackkitty2014  ❤️

[blackkitty2014]

Thx you @peculiarzmakeup @itsfi  🌹❤️ Everyone here is so creative (maybe not me) but yes I’m learning tons from everyone. The Chantecaille skin tint is pretty good and very similar to the Sisley skin tint. Sisley is a tiny bit better but a whole lot more expensive 😘

[peculiarzmakeup]

You are very creative, I love seeing your posts and this is a fantastic photo as well! @blackkitty2014 

[itsfi]

Oh my goodness, forgive me for staring!! No, let me rephrase that @blackkitty2014 - "sorry, but I can't stop staring." This capsule is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous!!! 

Ahhh, that MJ bronzer is a beauty - the shade and undertones in it are perfect! You will fully pan that MJ bronzer. I feel like it's one of those that can take time to hit pan, but once it does, it's just about getting in your uses and that pan will expand and expand until there's no more product left. You got this!!

You are doing so well with the Chantecaille Skin Tint - there's so much product in that tube but you are well on your way to using it all up!

Not cheating with the lipsticks at all! Around here, we love a robust array of lip products to choose from! 

[CynthieLu]

The "Mocha Mousse" Inspired Makeup Capsule 

I was really excited for this one! I instantly knew some of the products I was going to put in this weeks capsule as soon as I read this prompt. 🤎

 

My Mocha Mousse Inclusions: 

Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed - Matte Color for Cheek & Lip  in limited edition shade Spiced Latte from her holiday release. She hinted on a live that if there was enough cry for it, this could become a permanent edition to her line.

Too Faced Better Than Chocolate Eyeshadow Palette  🍫This just felt so well matched to this week's theme. Yum!

ONE/SIZE by Patrick Starrr Lip Snatcher Waterproof Precision Lip Liner Rent Due  is a rich chocolate brown shade

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil Stain Honesty  Honest honestly could be renamed Mocha Mousse imo. It's so soft and has a chocolatey hue with a touch of rose.

Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream Bronzer  is the richest shade in my collection, I thought this would fit right in with this line up.

And the rest:

DIOR Forever Glow Star Filter Multi-Use Complexion Enhancing Booster 2N  

Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Soothing Serum Skin Tint Foundation with Peptides + Ceramides 2  

DIOR Forever Glow Maximizer Longwear Liquid Highlighter 017 Nude  

Clarins Mascara

#Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Fiber Eyebrow Pencil 3 

[Mellmars1185]

@CynthieLu Great choices for mocha mousse! How do you find the TF palette wears? I haven't reached for it in while.

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, love that there were products that just came to your mind when you saw this week's theme! You picked some lovely products for this week's capsule - definitely mocha mousse inspired. And the other shades complement this color family so well. Rare Beauty Honesty sounds beautiful - chocolate with a hint of rose?! Pretty. 

lol, I think this is the first time I've seen the Too Faced palette cover. I know!!! I've always just seen the view of the shades themselves. How is that possible?!

[ather]

@CynthieLu  I bet these looks are perfect! 😍 

[CynthieLu]

Thank you. I have no complaints @ather 😁 Well, maybe just that CT's bronzer is the hardest to blend that I've come across. I don't know why, but it's a bit stubborn. 🤔

[peculiarzmakeup]

Beautiful Capsule! I love seeing your inspirations for Mocha Mousse! These all pair so beautifully together.  Spiced Latte is such an excellent shade! This is a very creative and innovative selection of items! I love the photo as well! This is so neat ❤️☕️ @CynthieLu 

[CynthieLu]

Thank youuu!! @peculiarzmakeup 

You know Spiced Latte is a good one imo and I'm surprised how versatile. It's not to deep for me. I have the same approach to my all blushes, start small and build. 😉 

I am curious to see if she'll add it to her regular line up this year.  I think it's worth of a permanent spot. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

I agree! It should be made permanent I was on that live too I think haha I always learn a lot about how to apply certain products especially from the people that designed them and everyone here at BIC looking forward to seeing what lands in the permanent vault as well ❤️ @CynthieLu 

[CynthieLu]

They are fun right? @peculiarzmakeup I miss her lives and Teach me Tuesday's, but my shifts at work changed a few months ago and I don't catch them anymore. I used to try to watch them later...but life got to busy. 🫣 

Do you still watch them ever?

[peculiarzmakeup]

I do! Not everytime but definatley when there’s a skill I’m looking to practice i watched one where they a little while back where they created “party” looks that was fun! I sometimes don’t have the full attention span but I definatley try to go when it peaks some additional learning. 🙂 @CynthieLu 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Week 2 (January 6 - 12) - The "Mocha Mousse" Inspired Makeup Capsule 

Mocha Mousse 2025 

I am so happy to be learning about Mocha Mousse. 
The collage above displays some of the swatches (not mine) of the products I’ve been using for this look 

Foundation

Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Soothing Serum Skin Tint Foundation with Peptides + Ceramides 2  

Concealer

Danessa Myricks Lift and Flex Concealer 2

Bronzer 

MERIT Bronze Balm Sheer Sculpting Bronzer Quince  

Blush 

Danessa Myricks Beauty Dewy Cheek & Lip Palette Dew It Undercover  

Highlighter 

MERIT Day Glow Dewy Highlighting Balm  

Facial Serum

Danessa Myricks Face Oil (gold) 

Lipstick 

Rokael Beauty Lip Crème 1111 (light beige) 

Rokael Beauty Lip Crème Dreame (Chocolate Carmel)

Eyeliner 

About face (brown) 

Danessa Myricks Beauty Linework Paintbrush Fluid Liquid Eyeliner 0.034 oz / 1 ml  

Eyeshadow

Danessa Myricks Beauty Groundwork: Defining Neutrals - Palette For Eyes, Brows, Face & Lips  

Pat McGrath Labs Smoke Pallete 

Eyebrows 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pen Superfine Waterproof Detail Eyebrow Pen Medium Brown  

Powder

Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder - Tinted Primer & Foundation 2  

Eyelash 

Too Faced Better Than Sex Primer &amp; Mascara Duo 

Reflections

I found myself gravitating towards these shades by fall and winter when I think of mocha I think of soft and sweet. These have worked really well and been a staple in my routine. 

Would love to learn more about what the mousse aspect means? 

☕️❤️

[Mellmars1185]

@peculiarzmakeup Beautiful mocha mousse inspired capsule!

[ather]

@peculiarzmakeup  This looks like a perfect mocha inspired look!!! I bet this looks beautiful on you!

[peculiarzmakeup]

Thank you! I’m gonna try it on all together I’m on a fam visit so I couldn’t bring all my makeup on board but soon! I will try it! I appreciate your encouragement ❤️ @ather 

[itsfi]

These are lovely choices for this week’s capsule @peculiarzmakeup. Are the swatches from Danessa Myricks?

btw, super excited to see what you do with the Groundworks palette this year - excellent choice for a pan it! product.